One Gun Guy Gameplay Preview

One Gun Guy is a 2D arcadey platformer that pays homage to the classics like Super Mario Bros. and Mega Man, and even Donkey Kong. The game is a blast from the past and is a pretty good time, albeit a short one.

The game that immediately comes to mind when playing One Gun Guy is Mega Man. The shooting and platforming feel pretty similar to the original Mega Man games. The game also incorporates collecting coins like Super Mario Bros. and even has the barrel mechanic from Donkey Kong. This game is an amalgamation of all the classic platforming titles in one bite sized experience.

The game feels pretty fun to play. The game’s take on power ups and lives is pretty interesting. You collect coins throughout the levels and when you collect one hundred, you gain a life. If you are already at full health, you gain additional powers such as an extra life, a magnet ability to automatically collect coins, and your gun upgrades to shoot three bullets at a time. You can also collect the extra lives hidden throughout the levels to immediately power up.

If you get hit, you lose an ability such as your double jump and charge shot, until you get to the point where the next hit will result in your death. Dying is not so punishing in this game as you just simply respawn immediately at the closest checkpoint.

While the game is pretty fun to play, it does have some minor flaws. For starters, the game is pretty short. It took me about forty minutes the first time through to complete it. It does have a hard mode and achievements for beating the game without dying and getting hit on each difficulty but people may not be interested in that. Secondly, while the music is fantastic, it loops constantly and it does feel like the loops are too short and too obvious. Making the songs last a little longer and loop seamlessly would definitely improve the experience. Finally, the game only has one boss. It would have been nice for there to have been more unique enemy encounters spread throughout the game.

These are only minor flaws as the core of game is still quite enjoyable. It’s a nice refreshing palette cleanser and I certainly don’t mind short games because that means I can get the most out of it and then move on to the next game immediately. Others may want more content in their games.

Overall, One Gun Guy is a solid arcadey platformer. It pays homage to all the classics and successfully incorporates their game play while introduce unique mechanics of its own. The game is definitely short but it was the perfect bite sized experience for me.